BENI: Local officials said on Tuesday that as many as 22 people have died in Congo’s Kasai-Central province, where heavy rains destroyed infrastructure and caused flooding.
A landslide engulfed homes, roads and churches, killing whole families and leaving people displaced, Reuters reported.
Regional Governor John Kabeya said that the community of Kananga was hardest hit. The Governor said that the rain had started at 1 a.m. local time and continued until 4 p.m.
Heavy Rains Kill 22 in DR Congo
In a statement, the provincial government said it would carry out a probe to determine the causes for the material damages in the region.
Kananga Mayor Rose Muadi Musube stated that most of the deaths were caused by the downfall of the walls of homes built on unsuitable area.
Earlier, in May 2023, in the Kalehe area of the South Kivu province, around 438 bodies were found in region hit by flooding caused by heavy rains. Local officials also estimate that over 5,000 people went missing in the floods.
Landslides and floods are common in the DR Congo during the rainy season, which runs from the month of September to month of May, and frequently have devastating impacts.
